The United Kingdom’s planned referendum on whether to remain in Europe raises fundamental questions about allegiances—especially in a world in which we’re expected to be good local and global citizens at the same time. What, if anything, do the British owe Europe—and what does it mean to belong in Europe today? As regions from Scotland to Catalonia have sought both local sovereignty and greater connection to Europe, what sort of special deals or concessions should one political entity be able to negotiate as a condition of joining or remaining in larger unions? And how can today’s citizens best balance different loyalties—to hometowns, to countries, to neighbors, and to the world at large—when so many problems and issues cross different borders in different ways?

University of Edinburgh political scientist Laura Cram, Democracy International board member Gerald Häfner, London School of Economics legal scholar Damian Chalmers and Stephen Booth of Open Europe visit Zócalo to untangle conflicting allegiances and discuss the meaning of Europe in a confusing time.